Conspirators
by Jade Catherine
Summary: What happened in Autumn's closet before Noah arrived home that fateful day?


Conspirators: a Material Girl fanfiction

Taking place between strip 1 ("Bad Karma", http:/heartgear. deviantart. com/gallery/#/d1erzpn) and 2 ("Repercussions", http:/heartgear .deviantart .com/gallery/#/d1f0oee) of Material Girl (http:/heartgear .deviantart .com/gallery/#Material-Girl) by HeartGear.

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"I'm SUFFOCATING in here!"

"Could you please be quiet? You're not making things any better, you know."

"How am I supposed to be quiet? We've been sealed up in this stupid dark closet FOREVER!"

"Was that a moth?" A sweater's voice climbed to a hysterical pitch. "Something brushed against me! I think it was a moth!"

"Relax, Sweater! Your mind is playing tricks on you. It's just the boredom."

There was a long pause.

"Toob, Autumn took you with her to college. Why didn't she take us? Why did she bring you back? She used to love us so much..."

The glittery tube top sighed. "It's a bunch of stuff. She's put on her Freshman 15 and most of us don't fit anymore. Plus, she really doesn't get out to party much – it's all study, study, study, sweatshirts and jeans. And she barely has any space in her dorm room. I was squashed up in the back of a drawer almost all the time I was there – it really wasn't any better than being here."

"Then why doesn't she give us away? I love her but I want somebody to wear me."

"Well, she still thinks she'll lose the Freshman 15 eventually. And she still does love us, it's just... "

For a long time, the closet was silent.

Finally, the twinset sighed, "If only she had a sister who could wear us..."

"She's got Noah. He could wear us."

"Noah's a boy, silly."

"That's _his_ problem, not ours, if you ask me," sniffed the prom gown. "I don't see why _we_ should have to suffer for it."

"He _is_ cute, isn't he? We could have so much fun with him."

"I'd twirl around his legs in the breeze..." dreamed the crinkle skirt.

"Remember when he opened the door a few weeks ago, and just stood there staring at us? I know he was thinking about wearing us. I was yelling, 'Try me on! Try me on!'"

"I know you were. I was right next to you. You almost made me deaf."

"But he didn't even hear us."

"You mean he _pretended_ not to hear us. I think he could hear every word. I just know he was thinking about it, I could tell."

"You're imagining things. He was probably just looking for something his sister took."

"I love the way he's been growing his hair out," purred the ribbon. "I'd love to wind myself around it... we'd be so adorable together..."

"You guys just don't get it. Boys don't wear clothes like us. It's just not _done_."

"Well, why NOT?" demanded the strappy heels. "That's a stupid rule! I can't believe we're supposed to sit in here, gathering dust, while Noah goes around every day in those stupid old baggy rags, all because of some stupid rule about who's supposed to wear what! It makes me so MAD!" She stomped angrily on the floor.

Everyone in the closet gasped.

"What?" snapped the heels.

"You stomped!"

"What?"

"Straps, you stomped. On the floor. Just now."

"Hey, you're pointing at me!"

"I am?" The off-the-shoulder top pulled her sleeves back, as if to cover her mouth in surprise. "Oh my! I was!"

The closet exploded into motion and noise. "You're moving!" "I'm moving!" "We're moving!" "We can move!"

A sleeve turned the doorknob and a boot kicked the door open. "Let's go! Let's have some fun!"

"Without a person?" Ribbon's voice rose above the clamor. "Go tramping out into the world, by ourselves, without a person to wear us? How ridiculous. How _pathetic_."

The noise subsided and the crowd of clothing looked back at Ribbon, cowed.

"Well..." offered the sundress uncertainly, "we could go to Noah and ask him to wear us... I mean really ask him, beg him..."

"The time for asking has passed." Ribbon lifted herself up to look at each garment in turn. Her voice rose to an orator's volume. "We know what's good for us and good for Noah, and it's time for us to act on that. There are a whole lot of us and only one of him. He won't be able to stop us if we all act together. It's time for _us_ to decide what he's going to wear."

"Ribbon's right," pronounced Straps. "This is an opportunity we can't waste. Let's do it."

Far below, a door creaked open and slammed shut.

"That's Noah coming home. It's time," announced Ribbon. "Listen up, here's the plan."

All the clothing huddled close...


End file.
